


Now You See It...

by candygramme



Series: The Voyages of the Eye of Ra [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Crack, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27385954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candygramme/pseuds/candygramme
Summary: The Eye of Ra is suffering from Machine Rot (TM) and need to seek out a repair shop.  They (especially Jensen) get much more than they bargained for.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Series: The Voyages of the Eye of Ra [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950976
Comments: 19
Kudos: 41





	Now You See It...

**Author's Note:**

> As ever, beta by spoonlessone, for which my eternal gratitude.
> 
> Jared and Jensen are destined to become lovers, but not yet. Jensen has to work through his issues first.
> 
> For those who feel they need it, I have included a list of Jared's favorite Goddesses, so you can curse along with him! You'll find it at the end of the episode.

A cloaking device is an essential piece of equipment when you’re engaged in covert operations, and when you can’t trust it not to dump you into the material world right in the middle of a pack of ecstatic Vreebles just as they’re reaching the climax of their ritual sacrifice, it’s a pretty fucking useless item. I know this from personal experience, and believe me when I tell you, those tentacles pack quite the charge. It’s like being hit by 12 tasers at a time, and it makes it damned hard to rescue the sacrifice before she’s split from base to apex so that they can read her entrails. Not one of my prouder moments.

So, you’ll understand the stress level I’ve reached when, after dismantling mine and reducing it to its component parts, I find that the doblerizing bar has shorted out and welded the fimper to the queech coil. This means that I can’t just fix it. The parts I need aren’t just available over the counter. That means I’m going to have to find a place that repairs and maintains the Ammut-despised things. Maybe I can do a twofer and get Misha serviced at the same time.

Damned machinery! Speaking of which, I turn to my ship. 

“Okay, Misha,” I say. “Where’s the closest place I can get a repair for the phase shifter? Preferably a planet that also offers decent accommodation.”

“Uuuuummmm,” groans the bane of my existence, and for a moment nothing happens, but then it casts a chart onto the ceiling, and it seems that the Serket-damned thing does actually understand instructions, although its speech appears to be on the fritz. I don’t say anything except thanks, unwilling to spark off any more gibberish from the computer, and study the chart. I’m thinking that if I locate the right place, I might be able to get them to look at the M.I.S.H.A. too. It’s been developing more and more tics lately. 

There are three possible places we could head for, all of which have splendid reputations. I rule out Yettie, because of the weather. It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off Osiris himself. I briefly consider Hygeia, but Wadjet would smite me for my impertinence. Briefly I offer up a prayer to Wadjet herself to help me make a good decision, and the small planet Postlethwaite comes into focus.

I know a gift from the gods when it pokes me in the eye, so I tell Misha to plot a course for Postlethwaite and await my return, because it’s about time I checked on Jensen. I’d left him sleeping soundly, and my heart went out to him as I swiftly dressed and left him to it. He hasn’t had the best few days recently, and sleep is obviously something he needs.

Making my way from the dock to the cantina, I notice that the Kallian ship has departed, no doubt bearing with it Jensen’s egg. I send a prayer to Mother Isis after it, that Jensen’s child shall be loved and cared for even by the Kallian Senator whose vile act caused it to exist.

For the most part, the Nifflings have either returned to their bunks or passed out. I see a heap of them on the floor by the stage and marvel at how they can sleep through anything. Then I see Jensen. He’s slumped up against the bar, staring owlishly into a cup of covfefe. His ruff is drooping to the left, and covers one eye in an unintentionally rakish way, and the rest of his hair is rumpled, sticking out in all directions. He looks adorable. 

As I watch, he lowers his face until he can sip at the covfefe, and that must have some kind of effect on him, because he’s then able to sit up a little straighter and take a good slurp.

“Good morning,” I say and then jump back out of range of his flailing arms as he practically leaps out of his skin.

He hastily swallows more of his stimulant and then turns to eye me sheepishly. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, blushing and squinting. “I think I’m not quite awake yet.”

“Take your time,” I tell him with a smile. In truth he’s far too cute for me to handle without a stimulant of my own. “I’ve been looking at the phase shifter, but I don’t think I can repair it unless we go somewhere that has the parts. And before embarking on any kind of voyage, I need to be fed. By the grace of Heset, my stomach thinks my throat has been cut.” So saying, I ring the bell to summon Mark.

It’s a moment or two before he appears, and when he does he’s pretty much at half transparency and looks a lot more exhausted than usual. He flickers into existence behind the counter with a faint buzzing sound.

“Are you feeling okay? You look a little washed out.” I’ve never seen Mark at less than 50% present before. He must have been working hard all through the night. He favors me with a tired smile.

“We’re fine,” he says. “Just a tad tired. What can I do you for?”

“Breakfast for both of us, please, and more of the wake-up juice my partner here is guzzling. I could do with a couple of gallons.”

He nods and produces the covfefe from a carafe at the back of the bar. “Breakfast special today is braised tartouffian eel. One each?” I wrack my brains, trying to think if I’ve ever had it before, but Mark’s a master in the kitchen, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Couple of slices of toast too, if you don’t mind.” That’s for just in case I don’t actually like it. I can tell from the smirk that Mark sees through my plan. Jensen too, from the grin he isn’t even trying to hide, but whatever! I’ll try anything once.

“I’ll just leave the carafe here then, shall I?” Mark says, as Jensen drains a second mug and reaches for more. With that, he flickers out, and I assume he’s gone off to the kitchen to produce our exciting gourmet surprise.

Jensen seems to be recovering from his sleepy stage. His hair is still wild but his ruff is standing proudly now, and his eyes are both open at the same time. “Will we be leaving soon?” he asks.

“Straight after breakfast, if that’s okay with you.” I tell him.

“Good. There’s something here that doesn’t feel right. It’s interfering with my thoughts and somehow draining me. It was okay earlier but it’s starting to grow, and I have a very bad feeling about it.”

I’m about to quiz him further, but just then Mark rematerializes, bearing our food, and I get sidetracked by the fragrance. The pair of us fall to, and before long, the eel is a fond memory. Believe me when I say it’s delicious. I pay the tab and we head for _The Eye of Ra_ , where hopefully Misha is waiting for us with a course to Postlethwaite already plotted.

~

I remember when I was still in the crèche, seeing an old, old earth show about space. I think it might have been called Star Track or something similar, and I want to assure anyone reading this that space travel is nothing like as exciting as that show portrayed. You don’t just encounter things as you’re zipping across the cosmos. The cosmos is empty. That’s why they call it space.

So we have pretty close to a full decan to go before we get to Postlethwaite. I have a couple of new sensos that I traded with Mark, along with the provisions with which he usually supplies us. Usually I save the sensos until Misha’s voice wears thin, but with the terrible stutter he’s developed I suspect that won’t take long. Fortunately, it’s not the only option any more. I have a crew member, and I don’t believe I will ever get tired of gazing at him, even if we haven’t got anything more to talk about. 

So once on board _The Eye_ , I talk him through where we’re going and show him how to read the star chart. He learns very quickly, I will say that about him, and soon he’s calling up all the information about the planet Postlethwaite. It was named by the family that first landed there, and as a planet it wasn’t in demand for settling because it’s mainly water — the land mass itself is tiny. However, the Postlethwaite family were engineers, and they have recruited others to build a thriving community. The family itself may be history, but the reputation for invention and repair of anything machine-based is known throughout the galaxy.

It’s something Jensen seems to take pleasure in, this exploration of the planet’s history, and so I encourage him to explore the databanks. A cold hand squeezes my heart when I think how Mark had told me how a dishonored Minkotan would kill him or herself. He’s far too perfect to be snuffed out by shame at what’s happened to him. I pray that Taweret will protect him and Mut, protector of the living, will cradle him in her arms. He is far outside of my league, but I can appreciate his beauty and will do what I can to help him build his own life, just so long as he lives.

This is something else that happens during a stellar voyage. I become maudlin and introspective. Don’t mind me. It’s a thing.

~

We arrive into orbit around Postlethwaite after seven and a half days of traversing the void. Jensen and I have spent hours sharing our thoughts in conversation, and while I worry that his mind has been closed off to me since the egg laying incident. I can in fact feel his emotions a little again. We’re both pretty excited as we wait for landing instructions, so there’s no time to probe him about it.

Misha announces the call from Immigration, and I trance out as I discuss our terms of entry. Shortly thereafter the customs officers request permission to board, and we’re signed off and given permission to land. _The Eye_ glides into the hanger that has been provided for us, and I congratulate Jensen on his smooth piloting. He’s proving to be far more than just a pretty face. 

The fact that he does have a pretty face soon becomes apparent as we make our way down the street to the workshop we’ve been assured can help us with the phase shifter, and possibly with Misha too. One of the immigration officers, a sleazy gentleman named Sebastian, has been paying him far too much attention for my liking. I know his type. You meet them on every planet. He considers himself to be a prize, and his facial expression resembles that of a camel, fifty percent conceit compounded with fifty percent ignorance. I can’t tell if Jensen has noticed his attentions, but I certainly have, and it comes as no surprise to me when Sebastian sidles up to me and attempts to draw me to one side.

“That’s a very fine Minkotan you have there,” he murmurs, nudging me with his elbow. “Mind if I try him out?”

“When you say, ‘try him out’, you mean...?” I’m doing my best to be polite, but I’d love to slap the smirk off the man’s idiot face. I am outraged on Jensen’s behalf, but... but I don’t own him. I have no business speaking for him, so I bite my tongue and wait. I don’t wish to offend my hosts, or at least not until my phase shifter is working once more.

“He’s a whore, is he not? You obviously retain his services, and you seem well satisfied. I’ve read a lot about Minkotans, but didn’t ever think to be lucky enough to try one out.” I bite my lip and pray to Mekhit that Jensen can’t overhear this man’s offensive prattle. Never in my life would I offer such rudeness to one beloved of Anat, and especially not to one who was destined to become royal until catastrophe struck. Jensen may have been trained as a courtesan, but he is his own man.

So when I am feeling somewhat calmer, I say, “Jensen is a free man, and a member of my crew. If you have business to discuss with him, you should speak to him and not me. I don’t own him. My title is Senior Envoy of the Free Worlds Consortium, and as such my Job is to free slaves wherever I find them.”

“Oh, jolly good, jolly good.” The officer rubs his hands together in glee and hurries forward to intercept Jensen. I consider running away, but I reject the idea after a minute. If Jensen decides he’ll go with this boor, it is his choice and I should have nothing to say.

Having decided that, I’m curious to see if this Sebastian alters his approach at all to Jensen or if he retains his peculiarly unlikable attitude.

Hurrying to catch up, I see the man grab hold of Jensen’s arm and swing him around. There’s a crackle of emotion in the air as Jensen slowly turns. “Can I help you, sir,” he asks, with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Your Captain there tells me that you handle your own negotiations.” Jensen’s slight nod seems to invite the man to continue. “So I was just wondering what your fee might be?”

“My fee?” The fact that this is said between gritted teeth seems to escape the hapless fool.

“Yes. Your fee for services.”

“Oh, you’ll need to elaborate a little.” Now at this point — knowing Jensen just a little — if it were me I would have apologised and left, but this clown doesn’t seem to read body language.

“Well, sex, of course, if I can afford it,” says the officer blithely. “But what I’d really appreciate is that mouth of yours around my dick. I’ve never seen a more perfect set of lips for cocksucking. Will you at least suck my cock?”

As he finishes speaking, I can detect a flash of wordless anger, and then Jensen hauls back and punches the guy straight in the face. His blow sends Sebastian ass over apex backwards to measure his length on the ground.

As Jensen stands, rubbing his fist, the man pushes himself up to his feet again, somewhat shakily and staggers about for a moment, rubbing his jaw. “I guess that’s a no then,” he says, before turning and stumbling away without any further words.

My heart is in my mouth, wondering if this will mean that we have to leave the planet in a hurry, but I can’t help patting my beautiful crewmate on the shoulder. “By Hathor’s pillowy breasts, that was a splendid blow.”

“You don’t mind?” Jensen seems unsure whether to laugh or cry. “I am sorry I didn’t think...”

“Hey, he insulted you. He deserved it,” I tell him. “Come on. Let’s get this Amut-damned machinery fixed so we can move on.”

~

In any event, there are no further propositions to my handsome companion, and we arrive at the workshop where a friendly guy named Kurt takes his time to peer at my broken machinery and shake his head. 

“It’s an old model. I know we don’t have a new fimper for it. I can see what we’ve got in scrap. But I’m not holding out too much hope.” He makes woeful eyes at me. “Once the queech coil burns out, you really have to replace the whole assembly.” He produces some kind of catalogue and begins to leaf through it. “I don’t think we have the parts. I’m sorry.”

Well, that sucks. I bite back the curse that rises to my lips. “I can’t work without one,” I say, and Kurt shakes his head in sympathy. 

“You can trade it in part exchange on a new one,” he says. “We could give you a couple hundred solars if you go that route. Or if you don’t need it that often you might look for a used model.”

At this point, Jensen touches my elbow gently and beckons me away. “We still need them to look at the ship’s computer, right?” I’d kind of lost sight of that, but I nod. He’s correct. “So let me handle this,” he tells me. “I’ve learned haggling from the masters. It was part of my training. Just tell me what your limit is, and let me at ‘em.”

“You would do that for me?” I ask, and make a note to find out what other skills he might have. Finally, I give him what I think might be a reasonable sum for a new machine, along with the cost of repairs for Misha, and tell him not to go too far over that. He nods, and turns to approach Kurt.

I suspect Kurt never knew what hit him. Maybe it was Jensen’s beauty that beguiled him, or maybe Neith was watching and lent his tongue wings, but in truth I have never seen such a display of bargaining. There was laughter at first, then growling, then tears, and seduction, but at the end, the figure reached is no more than half what I would have paid, and there’s a guarantee that Kurt himself will be by tomorrow to fix Misha and deliver a new, robust phase shifter.

Jensen seals the bargain with a kiss, a smile and a handshake, and I pay the man, thrusting down the pangs of jealousy that affords. I feel such a pang when their lips meet that I have to turn away. 

~

We spend the night in _The Eye_ , knowing that there will be engineers arriving first thing to fix our stuff, and it’s a good job that we do. Kurt, the engineer we spoke with on the previous day announces himself long before Jensen is awake, and when he comes on board he’s bearing an enormous amount of toolboxes all perched on a trolley that seems almost too heavy for him to tow along.  
As he huffs and puffs into the control deck, I offer him a hand as Misha closes the main access hatch.

“You seem to be in a mighty hurry,” I say. “Is there a problem?”

Kurt mops his forehead with a rag snatched from a bundle of nondescript items perched on the top of his trolley. “Captain,” he says, when he’s stopped panting and is able to speak. “There certainly is.” He lugs a large canvas case off the trolley and unzips it, revealing a shiny new phase shifter. “This is the most powerful cloaking device we have. I recommend that we install it without delay.”

I am beginning to worry a little, because it’s several times the strength that Jensen negotiated for, and I say so, at which point he holds up a hand. 

“You’re going to need it, my friend,” he tells me. “The Immigration department are up in arms over the way your Minkotan colleague humiliated officer Roché yesterday, and they have decided that they will impound him as contraband. If you wish to avoid this happening, you will do well to remove your presence from Postlethwaite very rapidly. Given this problem, I have a bargain to strike with you, if I may.”  
I believe my eyebrows have lifted so high that they are now fighting for territory with my hair. “Can they do that? He’s a man, not a thing.”

“They can do whatever they like, and I understand that once they have him, he will be used for sex. I saw a sign-up sheet as I was coming through immigration.” Kurt looks shocked, so much so that I believe him.

“So, what’s to be done?” I ask, and if my voice is a little higher pitched than usual I ascribe it to my worry for Jensen.

“Simple,” says Kurt. “I brought with me all my worldly goods, not just my toolkit. Take me with you, and we’ll install this cloaking device that will enable you to phase your ship and its contents out into space. Once we’re free of the planet, I can take a look at your computer, tend to your engines and whatever else mechanical you may need. I can work my passage if you free me from the humdrum existence I’ve been leading. It’s always been my dream to go into space.”

“Uuuuuummmmm,” mumbles Misha, flipping on the viewscreen, which shows that there appears to be a considerable, uniformed force assembling beyond the jetway leading to _The Eye_. That assists me in making my decision, and I nod. 

I’m tempted to say ‘Make it so,’ but there isn’t time, and nobody would get it anyway, so I just say, “Deal,” and as Kurt sets about powering up the shiny new phase shifter, I start the engine and await his word that we're ready to go. 

There’s no chugging or coughing — something that my previous phase shifter did continuously — just a gentle hum that rises in intensity until I feel us slide into the phantom zone. On the viewscreen, the squad seems to be fully assembled and has started to march towards _The Eye_ , and I can see that the approach is being led by the very asshole that Jensen punched out yesterday.

“I’ll show you!” I howl and engage the antigravity thrusters.

Just as I do so, Jensen stumbles into the deck, blinking owlishly, and wondering exactly what’s going on. I leave it to Kurt to explain as I pilot _The Eye_ past the hanger. She floats up as gently as a soap bubble and out beyond the atmosphere. Finally, Kurt drops us out of the phantom zone and back into realspace and sets us a course away from sex-crazed Postlethwaite. 

Looking at Kurt’s stack of belongings, I figure we need to get them stowed away before we encounter any cosmic storms, so I lead him back to the living quarters and then to the engine room. That takes us a while, and allows Jensen to whip up some Tarquillian gator burgers for breakfast along with the inevitable covfefe. Then Kurt sets about taking the covers off Misha, despite an extended ‘Ummmmm’.

“I will need to remove the personality module for the time being, so that I can dismantle it and see what the problem is,” he explains as we eat. “I brought along a couple of replacement personalities as temporary stand-bys.” With that, he pops out what I presume is the personality module for Misha and inserts a shiny pink one. Then he reboots the computer, and I await Misha’s return to sentience.  
I am astonished, to say the least, when I hear a charming contralto say, “Morning, Boss, My name’s Traci. Where would you like to go?”

And that makes me blink. I haven’t thought about going anywhere. I now have a pilot and an engineer. I should probably think about my next job. 

“Okay, Traci. Nice to meet you. Pull up the course for Khem, and Abydos. It’s time we went home to debrief and get a new set of work orders.”

~*~

Jared's Goddesses:

Amentet - She of the West. Greeter of the newly dead

Ammut - Eater of hearts, devourer of souls. If the heart is heavy with sin upon being weighed against a feather, Ammut gets it. She's part hippo, part crocodile and part lion

Anat - Daughter of Ra. Warrior Goddess who is also in charge of fertility and sex

Bastet - The Cat Goddess. She takes care of those in childbirth and protects the dwelling place

Hathor - Cow Goddess. Motherhood, music, dancing, drunkenness. As the goddess of love, Hathor possesses the ability to manipulate any man or woman, whether they be mortal, god or beast to do her bidding

Heset - Another Cow Goddess. She is in charge of food and drink. Beer is often referred to as 'Milk of Heset'

Isis - Goddess of the moon. Goddess of life and magic. As the mother goddess she is also known as Weret-Kekau. Her wings enabled her to fan the life back into her dead husband, Osiris  
NB: Imagery of the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus comes directly from Isis cradling her son Horus and the Dying and Reviving God figure of Jesus himself is a version of Osiris

Ma'at - Goddess of Truth, justice, balance and harmony. She decided whether a person would successfully reach the afterlife, by weighing their soul against her feather of truth

Mehet-Weret - Mother of Ra, the goddess of streaming water, a goddess related to creation and to rebirth

Mekhit - The lioness goddess. The form of the Eye of Ra who seeks out evil doers. Pursues vengeance

Mut - The mother of all things who gave birth to the world. the protector of the living 

Neith The Terrifying One. Goddess of wisdom and war, settler of disputes. Carries a bow and arrows

Nephthys - Sister of Isis and her opposite. The dark goddess (Isis is the light.) Friend of the dead. Brings balance, divine assistance and protective guardianship

Nut - the Sky Goddess who assists Ra in his daily rerbirth

Qebhet - Serpent Goddess who offers water to the dead souls awaiting judgment. She's the goddess of embalming

Sekhmet - Cat goddess of both destruction and healing, depending on what mood. she's in Likes beer. Patron goddess of the military. Commands the plagues. Jared's totem

Serket - the Scorpion Goddess.Able to heal venomous stings and bites

Seshat - Goddess of Writing, record keeping and measurements, especially time

Taweret - the Hippo Goddess. Goddess of childbirth. Protector of mothers and children

Tefnut - Goddess of rain, water, and moisture, and by extension, tears

Wadjet - The Cobra Goddess who appears on the uraeus. She is the benevolent aspect of the Eye of Ra, and is the friend who protects from demons, bad luck and ghosts. Jared's ship is dedicated to her


End file.
